Their Democratic opponents have said their rivals misrepresent the county's business climate as worse than it really is. They maintain the county isn't without problems — especially as the nation claws its way out of a crippling recession — but is encouraging business while protecting the environmental treasures that attract residents.

The debate isn't new. County Commissioner Susan Baird, a Republican, said she ran for office in 2010 largely because she saw businesses doing badly, citing impact fees and a lengthy development approval process as problem areas.

Commissioner Lee Pinkoson, a Democrat, said the county can improve its business climate — including by better shepherding newcomers through the approval process — but he said the county has improved business relations in recent years.

With efforts such as the Innovation Hub at the University of Florida, in which Alachua County government has partnered with other entities to attract tech businesses to the area, the county is able to offer higher-end jobs, he said. But he said he would like to focus more on helping people without advanced degrees find good-paying jobs.

Tim Giuliani, president of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, said the hub is establishing a platform for economic competitiveness that will help the community thrive in the global marketplace.

“Overall, we're moving in the right direction,” he said. “However, we still have a long way to go.”

The answer to whether the county is business-friendly depends on who you ask and where their priorities lie.

Acting County Manager Richard Drummond contends the assumption that the county is unfriendly to business is steeped in the history here but questions its accuracy today.

It's difficult “to get away from the sound bite that we're not business-friendly,” he said.

“I think for the most part, though, it's a legacy statement that's easy to say, and if you look at the reality of it, we are a lot more business-friendly than we have been since before I came here,” he said.

When Drummond became growth management director in 2000, getting a single-family home building permit could take 35 days or more when it shouldn't take more than 10, he said. Now, it takes three to five days, he said.

Over the years, new concepts have streamlined the process and encouraged compact instead of sprawling development, he said.

Growth Management Director Steve Lachnicht said his employees act as partners rather than adversaries with developers, with it usually taking about three months to get site plan approval.

“We guide them through the process,” he said.

Martin has decried the comprehensive plan as too thick with regulations. But Lachnicht argues its standards for mixed-use developments that combine residential, commercial and other uses — although complicated — are permissive.

The county's growth rate is slow — a national trend not unique here — but he said his department isn't discouraging applicants. They just aren't lining up at the door, he said.

Fifteen to 20 single-family houses are built each month compared with 60 or 70 when growth was booming pre-recession, Lachnicht said. The county, however, has attracted large-scale developments such as Celebration Pointe and Spring Hills.

“Growth is slow, but we (see) good signs in some of these major projects in the pipeline — and other communities aren't seeing that,” Lachnicht said.

Calderwood has called for a six-month moratorium on impact fees to lessen the financial pressure on businesses and developers.

Impact fees are levied on developers to cover their projects' future impacts, such as increased traffic, and the debate over impact fees dates back to before the 2008 recession, Lachnicht said.

Most significantly growing counties have impact fees, Lachnicht said. People would rather not pay them, but they are only one cost among many that factor into business decisions.

In 2009, Alachua County ranked fourth among Florida counties in per-capita county and municipal impact fees at $61.44, according to a 2011 Florida TaxWatch study.

Giuliani said all costs, both in money and time, weigh on business owners in this economy. “Costs across the board are going up and putting pressure on companies,” he said. “Time is money in business.”

County property taxes are another controversial issue. The County Commission maintained its general fund property tax rate of almost 8.6 mills this fiscal year but has raised it in previous years since the recession started.

One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

Cheshire said the commission has presented barriers to business through high property taxes.

“I would say the County Commission, without a doubt, has been the single greatest impediment to growth in Alachua County,” he said. “The fact of the matter is people are hurting, and the taxes are too high.”

According to the Florida Department of Revenue, Alachua County had the highest total millage rate in the state in 2011 at about 23.8 mills. It also held the highest average total property tax millage rate in 2010 at about 24.5 mills in the Florida TaxWatch study.

Those figures include city and school district rates as well as county rates. In 2010, the county ranked second in school district millage rates with a property tax rate of about 9.9 mills.

In other property tax categories, the county ranked lower on the list of Florida's 67 counties.

It came in 15th in county government millage rates in 2010, according to the study. In per-capita property tax levies for 2010, it ranked 22nd and came in below the state average.

Alachua County Property Appraiser Ed Crapo noted the county's general fund millage rate is lower than that of several other counties, including nearby Bradford, which had a rate of more than 9 mills in 2011. He cautioned against claiming Alachua County is the highest property tax county without qualifying that statement because of the varied ways of ranking it.

Crapo said property taxes become a bigger issue in a down market, but he said he doubts they are a determining factor in business decisions.

“I think it has a lot more to do with profit than it has to do with taxes,” he said.

Drummond said the debate over the county's business climate should seek common ground on which residents, businesses and local government can collaborate to encourage economically and environmentally stable development.

This issue will always be a pendulum swinging between the extremes of allowing all growth and clamping down on it, he said. The trick is to keep that swing as tight as possible through open conversation and tweaks to the system.

<p>In debates throughout the campaign season, Alachua County Commission candidates have traded barbs over a key question: Is the county unfriendly to business?</p><p>Republican candidates Jean Calderwood, Dean Cheshire and John Martin contend the county is stifling business, citing as examples impact fees, property taxes and the comprehensive land-use plan.</p><p>Their Democratic opponents have said their rivals misrepresent the county's business climate as worse than it really is. They maintain the county isn't without problems — especially as the nation claws its way out of a crippling recession — but is encouraging business while protecting the environmental treasures that attract residents.</p><p>The debate isn't new. County Commissioner Susan Baird, a Republican, said she ran for office in 2010 largely because she saw businesses doing badly, citing impact fees and a lengthy development approval process as problem areas.</p><p>Commissioner Lee Pinkoson, a Democrat, said the county can improve its business climate — including by better shepherding newcomers through the approval process — but he said the county has improved business relations in recent years.</p><p>With efforts such as the Innovation Hub at the University of Florida, in which Alachua County government has partnered with other entities to attract tech businesses to the area, the county is able to offer higher-end jobs, he said. But he said he would like to focus more on helping people without advanced degrees find good-paying jobs.</p><p>Tim Giuliani, president of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, said the hub is establishing a platform for economic competitiveness that will help the community thrive in the global marketplace.</p><p>“Overall, we're moving in the right direction,” he said. “However, we still have a long way to go.”</p><p>The answer to whether the county is business-friendly depends on who you ask and where their priorities lie.</p><p>Acting County Manager Richard Drummond contends the assumption that the county is unfriendly to business is steeped in the history here but questions its accuracy today.</p><p>It's difficult “to get away from the sound bite that we're not business-friendly,” he said.</p><p>“I think for the most part, though, it's a legacy statement that's easy to say, and if you look at the reality of it, we are a lot more business-friendly than we have been since before I came here,” he said.</p><p>When Drummond became growth management director in 2000, getting a single-family home building permit could take 35 days or more when it shouldn't take more than 10, he said. Now, it takes three to five days, he said.</p><p>Over the years, new concepts have streamlined the process and encouraged compact instead of sprawling development, he said.</p><p>Growth Management Director Steve Lachnicht said his employees act as partners rather than adversaries with developers, with it usually taking about three months to get site plan approval.</p><p>“We guide them through the process,” he said.</p><p>Martin has decried the comprehensive plan as too thick with regulations. But Lachnicht argues its standards for mixed-use developments that combine residential, commercial and other uses — although complicated — are permissive.</p><p>The county's growth rate is slow — a national trend not unique here — but he said his department isn't discouraging applicants. They just aren't lining up at the door, he said.</p><p>Fifteen to 20 single-family houses are built each month compared with 60 or 70 when growth was booming pre-recession, Lachnicht said. The county, however, has attracted large-scale developments such as Celebration Pointe and Spring Hills.</p><p>“Growth is slow, but we (see) good signs in some of these major projects in the pipeline — and other communities aren't seeing that,” Lachnicht said.</p><p>Calderwood has called for a six-month moratorium on impact fees to lessen the financial pressure on businesses and developers.</p><p>Impact fees are levied on developers to cover their projects' future impacts, such as increased traffic, and the debate over impact fees dates back to before the 2008 recession, Lachnicht said.</p><p>Most significantly growing counties have impact fees, Lachnicht said. People would rather not pay them, but they are only one cost among many that factor into business decisions.</p><p>In 2009, Alachua County ranked fourth among Florida counties in per-capita county and municipal impact fees at $61.44, according to a 2011 Florida TaxWatch study.</p><p>Giuliani said all costs, both in money and time, weigh on business owners in this economy. “Costs across the board are going up and putting pressure on companies,” he said. “Time is money in business.”</p><p>County property taxes are another controversial issue. The County Commission maintained its general fund property tax rate of almost 8.6 mills this fiscal year but has raised it in previous years since the recession started.</p><p>One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.</p><p>Cheshire said the commission has presented barriers to business through high property taxes.</p><p>“I would say the County Commission, without a doubt, has been the single greatest impediment to growth in Alachua County,” he said. “The fact of the matter is people are hurting, and the taxes are too high.”</p><p>According to the Florida Department of Revenue, Alachua County had the highest total millage rate in the state in 2011 at about 23.8 mills. It also held the highest average total property tax millage rate in 2010 at about 24.5 mills in the Florida TaxWatch study.</p><p>Those figures include city and school district rates as well as county rates. In 2010, the county ranked second in school district millage rates with a property tax rate of about 9.9 mills.</p><p>In other property tax categories, the county ranked lower on the list of Florida's 67 counties.</p><p>It came in 15th in county government millage rates in 2010, according to the study. In per-capita property tax levies for 2010, it ranked 22nd and came in below the state average.</p><p>Alachua County Property Appraiser Ed Crapo noted the county's general fund millage rate is lower than that of several other counties, including nearby Bradford, which had a rate of more than 9 mills in 2011. He cautioned against claiming Alachua County is the highest property tax county without qualifying that statement because of the varied ways of ranking it.</p><p>Crapo said property taxes become a bigger issue in a down market, but he said he doubts they are a determining factor in business decisions.</p><p>“I think it has a lot more to do with profit than it has to do with taxes,” he said.</p><p>Drummond said the debate over the county's business climate should seek common ground on which residents, businesses and local government can collaborate to encourage economically and environmentally stable development.</p><p>This issue will always be a pendulum swinging between the extremes of allowing all growth and clamping down on it, he said. The trick is to keep that swing as tight as possible through open conversation and tweaks to the system.</p>